Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ladycation : Volume One

My best friend Aanna and I are both becoming mums this year and decided it would be fun to mark the end of this "no babies" era with a little adventure (although aanna totally brought her baby along. rude.). Its not because we think we aren't going to have any fun after these beans are born (much the contrary), It was just a good way to spend some time together before our lives change beyond what we can even imagine

at first we thought we’d go somewhere more exciting like palm springs or portland, but then i realized that if my little guy was born early and i missed his birth because i couldn’t get back in time, i would be super sad. So we planned a little trip close to home.

it started in Joplin, and Ended in Kansas city with stops in fayetteville, springfield, and st louis. it turned out our funny little tour of arkansas and missouri was perfect for us.

We had pedicures and manicures, talked, got massages, ate lovely food (duck con fit crepes, pear tarts, croissants, catfish po' boys) stayed in nice hotels (thank you steve’s traveling points), watched Bill Cunningham New York, poured over the design sponge book, thrifted, instagrammed at an annoying frequency, took decadent amounts of time gettting ready, talked, explored vintage shops and yarn shops and funny boutiques, laughed, cried, and then talked some more (ok, the best part may have been riding in the car when we could just focus on talking).

yarn at the shop "Hand Held" in fayetteville

at the lovely salon space in joplin

cozy at the little bread co.

a winter scene by Aanna

joplin main street

aviary (the crepe place) in springfield

le men's room sign

magical

mani pedis

hugo's in fayetteville

fromage at Brassiere in st. louis.

laughing so hard at trying to take a good picture

aanna's sweet pup, mabel.

mrs. parker

the jellybean

Top 10 Things I Learned on Ladycation by Aanna

10. Don’t get too excited about your cheese plate or the waiter will mistake it for seduction and feel the need to drop the fact that he’s married.

9. Roadtrips are fun.

8. Warm chocolate chip cookies at the front desk > Complimentary Valet Parking. I know I sound crazy but you’re just going to have to trust me on this one.

7. There is something funnier than Melissa McCarthy pooping in a sink. It’s when someone takes a bite of a pear, chews it just until it turns to mush, and then has the hopelessly overpowering urge to sneeze. Poor Maria. I nearly died of asphyxiation from laughing so hard. Then I nearly peed. Then I nearly killed both of us because tears of laughter literally fogged over my sunglasses and I couldn’t see the road while I was driving.

6. A place can have great ambience with an “ehhh” product. (Hugo’s, Vintage Violet). A place can have a lackluster environment with a great product. (The Face Gallery, Cracker Barrel). When you combine an inspiring setting with a quality product, magic ensues (here’s looking at you Aviary and Decades)

5. Maria’s love language is giving. I have been the happy and humble recipient of this love for some years now and Ladycation was perhaps the pinnacle of it’s expression to date. (You have to leave this one in, Maria.)

4. After many goat-slayings and midnight fire rituals, Maria and I have appeased the Best-Friend-Photo Gods and they have granted us a few good ones. For awhile there I was afraid we were going to have to sacrifice our first-borns. Every picture of us either had our necks cocked at a weird angle or our shirts tucked into our panties. (there will be proof of this tomorrow :)

3. On one of our many car rides, Maria and I compared notes on our experiences as mothers-to-be. Turns out, parents get a big kick out of telling you things that scare the s*** out of you.

“Better go on a date now, you won’t be having one of those again. Ever.”

“You like to sleep, do you? That won’t be happening once the baby arrives.”

“Labor will turn you into a screaming, blubbering shadow of the woman you thought you were.”

2. A lovely woman with shimmering silver hair stood in her yarn shop and told us that she loved being a mother. She wasn’t tired all the time, she went on dates with her husband, she felt connected to her two kids throughout their lives, and she would’ve had more children if she wasn’t so old when she started. I learned that we are at the cusp of one of the most fun times of our lives.

1. Friendship can not only last, but deepen and freshen and broaden through the various and colorful changes in life.

I hope you all enjoy this post. Tune in tomorrow for way more pictures and the top ten things i learned!